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Monday, January 11, 2010

After 10 nights of freezing temperatures, memories of the winter of 2010 are permanently etched into the minds of Florida gardeners. The second Arctic blast that arrived on Saturday finished off the plants that had managed to squeak by to that point. And, with each passing day, some of the toughest plants gave way to the frost and temps in the upper 20's. This morning the tips of the azaleas (below) are hanging their heads, and even the liriope shows signs of frostbite.

As for the back and sideyard, where most of my tropical plants are, it is a sad state of affairs.

My heart sinks every night when I check the thermometer and see that it's already below freezing at 9pm. I know the carnage that's taking place in my garden.

And, I get a knot in my stomach when I walk around and survey the damage. We're all in the same boat though, as no yard has gone untouched.

Even the water birds (winter visitors) are trying to soak up some warmth from the sun as the thermometer reads 27 degrees.

The citrus growers have iced the orange trees for most of this week in an effort to save the trees. I'm not sure how this process really works, but it must be helpful.

And, our local nursery is doing the same thing.

I consoled myself by heading to my local HD where I bought a rose bush and a gold-tipped ligustrum tree...neither of these plants freeze. They looked so sad because they had not been watered for a day or two, so I scooped them up for the total price of $10...took them home...watered them well...and put them inside the garage. Old Man Winter may have won this battle, but hope springs eternal in the hearts of gardeners...and our gardens will come alive with flowers come spring...or, maybe, closer to summer this year!

11 comments:

Hi, Susan! That is indeed heartbreaking to see... glad to hear you're keeping your chin up and looking forward to spring. :) I hope some of your tropicals survive and come back to thrive.

Of course it should have never been nicknamed "global warming" in the first place. It's really global climate change, since some areas of the world stand to encounter mini-ice-ages and others massive desert-inducing drought. I suppose the simplified name sounded more catchy to some marketeer. ;)

Susan I feel your pain, my situation is not as bad as yours but last night was bad for us too. My car’s windshield was cover with ice this morning that was the first time in 30 years living in south Florida. I hope everything recovers fast for you, but this the cross that we Floridian gardeners bare so we can garden year around.

I am so sorry. Such tragic and pitiful pictures! I lost my 6 year old rosemary night before last in Oklahoma. I'll miss her so.... I feel your pain seeing years of hard work literally die before your eyes. Catherine

Susan,I'm so sorry ... it is the norm this week to see this kind of damage. After last night I'm in awe that anything could withstand that kind of cold. It will definitely be summer before recovery is noticed fully. My stomach sinks as well when I look around but trying to take it on the chin.

Meredith...Welcome! I'm sure most of my plants will recover when spring arrives. Those "marketeers" are devilishly dangerous, aren't they?

Dani...Yes, it has! I'm sure you're feeling the pain, too.

Kimberly...Finding a couple of "bargain" plants did lift my spirits during this frosty week. I'm praying, with you, for a speedy recovery, too.

Floridagirl...We are, indeed, in the same boat. There isn't a yard in my neighborhood that doesn't have brown grass and at least some brown & wilted plants. :-(

Rusty...Brrr, frost in S. Florida. I'm sure you're hoping it will be another 30 years, at least, before you see frost again.

Cath...Welcome! I am sorry to hear about your rosemary. Believe it or not, the ones around here are still alive, and so is my parsley. Hard to believe!

Meems...I'm afraid you're right about it taking to summer before our yards look really good again. I think I may pluck up some things like pentas and just start fresh in March. At least, that should make me feel better.

I gulped when I read about the frozen rosemary!! That would leave significant holes in my garden! I had just noticed my azalea looking a little "green around the gills" as the saying goes. I couldn't believe it! I'm glad I kept back some pansies to plant later. Can't wait to see what comes back even more beautiful in the spring, right?

Becca...Fortunately, my rosemary bushes made it here in the center of the state which is totally amazing to me. I do love them for their color and unusual texture. I just bought a couple of petunias I need to add to a container in the front yard which desperately needs some color (other than brown) right now.